Bow-rest for vehicle-tops.



R. MILLER BOW REST FOR VEHICLE TOPS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 3, 1913.

Patented Jan. 18, 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

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R. MILLER.

BOW REST FOR VEHICLE TOPS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 3, 1913.

Patented Jan. 18, 1916.

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RICHARD MILLER, OF NEW BERLIN, OHIO.

BOW-REST FOR VEHICLE-TOPS.

Application filed November 3, 1913.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, RICHARD MILLER, a citizenof the United States, residing at New Berlin, in the county of Stark andState of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Bow- Rest forVehicle-Tops, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to devices for supporting and securely holding thefolded tops of vehicles, and while especially adapted for use onautomobiles it has other useful applications, as will be readilyapparent.

The objects of the invention are to generally improve the constructionof devices of the character mentioned, to provide a bow rest which willbe compact and substantial, convenient in use, inconspicuous, having noparts liable to rattle and adapted to firmly and securely bind the bowsof the top together, the operation of fastening and unfastening thebinding means requiring but an instant. I

Further important objects are to provide a construction which may bereadily and firmly connected to the bracket irons or supports of thevehicle and to so form the parts of the device that they may be easilyand cheaply made.

These objects, together with other objects readily apparent to thoseskilled in the art, may be attained by the construction illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, although the invention may be embodied inother forms, the construction illustrated being chosen by way ofexample.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of the rear portion of anautomobile provided with a bow rest of my invented construction. Fig. 2is a perspective view of one form of the bow rest. Fig. 3 is an endelevation of the bow rest, showing the position of the bows of a foldedtop in dotted lines. Fig. t is a vertical, longitudinal section throughthe bow rest, without the binding strap, taken on the line 4-4 of 3.Fig. 5 is a transverse vertical section, taken at right-angles to theplane of the section in Fig. 4:, and showing-the. rest as connected tothe bracket iron of a vehicle, also showing the binding strap. Fig. 6 isa perspective view of another form of bow rest embodying my invention.Fig. 7 is a top view of the bow rest casting showing the hollow inte-Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 18, 1916.

Serial No. 798,800.

r101. Fig. 8 is a transverse section through -a bow rest of the typeshown in Fig. 6,

showing the movement of the binding lever by dotted lines. Fig. 9 is anend view of a bow rest of the type shown in Fig. 6, illustrating theposition of the parts when not employed to support the bows of the top.Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the binding lever. Fig. 11 is afragmentary perspective view illustrating the construction of thebinding lever receiving heads.

Throughout the several views similar reference numerals indicate similarparts.

More specifically describing the constructions disclosed in saiddrawings, the numeral 1 indicates the rear portion of an automobileprovided with a top 2 having bows The automobile is provided, as usual,with the bracket iron 4 to which is attached the bow rest 5.

The bow rest comprises a lower supporting member 6, preferably formed ofa casting, and a binding member 7, preferably formed of a strap. Thesupporting member is provided with the bow receiving portion 8preferably provided at its front and rear ends with horizontallydisposed, cylindrically concaved surfaces 9 adapted to generally conformto the shape of the lowermost bow of the folded top. Formed integrallywith the bow receiving portion is the bracket attaching portion 10,which forms-a central, hollowdepressed extension, in the side walls ofwhich are the opposite bracket receiving apertures 11 which arepreferably of the form illustrated in the drawings, the lower portionsof said apertures being rounded, and the upper portions extended intoangular notches 12 having straight edges 13 and 14c arranged at an angleto each other and meeting each other in the median line at 15. At theextreme lower part of the portion 10 is an integral boss 16 in which acoin tral,-vertically disposed set screw 17 is arranged and adapted toscrew into the interior of the portion 10 and into contact with thebracket iron l. Said bracket iron is preferably round in cross section,as illustrated in Fig. 4, and in attaching the supporting member to thesaid iron the straight edges 13 and 14: of the two bracket receivingapertures will bear upon the upper curved surface of said iron, whilethe set screw 17 binding-membereattaching portion 19.

will contact with the lower, curved surface of said iron, thus giving afive-point contact as between the supporting member and iron 4, which iswell adapted to maintain the supporting member in true position and forma firm and substantial connection.

Formed integrally with the bow receiving portion 8 are the upwardlyextending, relatively flared inner and outer binding-memher-attachingportions 18 and 19, respectively, which portions may be of differentspecific constructions as will presently appear. It should be herepointed out, however, that the supporting member may be cast in onepiece without the use of any core,

the shape of the member permitting the casting of the bracket receivingapertures 11 in the downwardly converging side walls of the portion 10.

For the purpose of preventing chafing of the lowermost bow of the foldedtop the lining 20, preferably formed of leather, is arranged upon thesurfaces 9 of the bow receiving portion, and extends across the openspace 21 on'the interior of the portion 10, but above the top of thebracket iron 4, as clearly illustrated in the drawings. Said lining maybe attached to the bow receiving portion by the rivets 22, extendingthrough the apertures 23 in the supporting member, and the upper headsof which are countersunk into the lining 20 sufliciently so as not tocomeinto chafing contact with the lowermost bow.

The binding member 7, preferably consisting of a strap, has one endpermanently attached to the inner binding-member-attaching portion 18,which is provided with an attaching bar 24 for the purpose and saidbinding member is of appropriate length to extend up and over theuppermost bow of the folded top and has its other end detachably andadjustablv connected to the outer In the drawings I have shown two modesof accomplishing such adjustable and detachable connection. In the formof device illustrated particularly in Figs. 2, 3, 4 and 5 the bindingstrap 7 is provided at its free end with a series of buckle tongueapertures 25, and the outer binding-member-attaching portion 19 isprovided with a buckle bar 26, a tongue bar 27 and a buckle tongue 28pivotally connected to the bar 27 and having its free end bearingagainst the bar 26, thus providing a rigidly mounted buckle for thereception of the free end of the strap 7. In Fig. 5'is clearlyillustrated the buckle at tachment of the free end of the strap 7 and itwill be understood that the operator may draw said strap down as tightlyupon the folded bows as may be desired and insert the tongue 28 into thecorresponding aperture 25.

In the form of the device illustrated in Figs. 6, 7, Sand 9 the outerbinding-memberattaching portion 19 is provided with the upwardly andoutwardly extending, spacedv binding lever receiving heads 29 which, ontheir inner sides, are provided with the inverted recesses 30. Thebinding lever is formed with the spaced arms 31 provided at their upper.ends with the out wardly projecting lugs 32 which are adapted to bereceived into the recesses 30. Midway between the ends of the arms 31 isa front cross bar 33, and a similar front cross bar34 is arranged at theextreme ends of the arms 31 opposite the ends on which the lugs 32 arearranged. Intermediate the bars 33 and 34 is a back cross bar 35extending between the arms 31 and provided with a forwardly projectinglug 36. The free end of the strap 7 is provided with a series ofapertures 37, and the binding lever is connected to said strap byextending said strap between the front bars 33 and 34 and the back bar35 and arranging the lug 36 in the desired aperture 37. In binding thebows of the folded top upon the supporting member 6 the strap 7 isextended up and over the uppermost bow of the folded top andthe lugs 32are then arranged in the inverted recesses 30, the free end of thebinding lever and strap 7' being outwardly arranged, as shown in dottedlines in Fig. 8. To closely bind the bows and fasten them in place it isthen only necessary to press the free end of the binding leverdownwardly against the side of the bracket attaching portion 10, asillustrated in full lines in Fig. 8, whereupon the portion of the strap:7 extending from the'binding lever to the uppermost bow will be movedinwardly beyond the axis of pivotal connection produced by the lugs 32in the recesses 30. By reason of this over the center arrangement,therefore, the bows will remain in tightly bound condition until it isdesired to release them, when an outward pull upon the free end of thestrap 7 and binding lever will so slacken the strap 7 as to permit thelugs 32 to be easily freed from the recesses 30. When the top is notfolded and it is desired to carry the device in the neatest manshown anddescribed disclose the best forms in which I have contemplated embodyingmy invention, I do not desire to be limited to the details so shown anddescribed, for many changes may be made as circumstances require orexperience suggests Without departing from the spirit of the invention,within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim 1. In a bow rest for vehicle tops, a supporting member formed ofa single casting provided with upwardly disposed, concave bow receivingportions provided at their sides with upwardly and outwardly extendingbinding-member-attaching portions, said casting in its lower part formedwith an integral, hollow bracket attaching portion opening at the topintermediate said bow receiving portions with a flared opening, a liningattached to saidbow receiving portions,

extending across said flared opening and constituting a cushion forreceiving the lowermost bow of a folded top, said hollow bracketattaching portion provided with alined bracket receiving apertures inthe opposite lateral walls of the same, said apertures having angularnotched extensions in their upper portions, and a median, verticallydisposed set screw extending through the bottom wall of said bracketattaching portion and adapted to engage the lower side of a bracket ironextended through said alined apertures, a binding member con- I nectedto said binding-member-attaching portions and means for adjustablyconnecting one end of said binding member to one of saidbinding-member-attaching portions.

2. A bow rest for vehicle tops comprising a supporting member providedwith integral outwardly extending binding-member-attaching portions, abinding member having one end permanently connected to one of saidattaching portions, the other attaching portion extending upwardly andoutwardly and provided with inverted recesses, and a binding leverconnected to the other end of said binding member, having lugs adaptedto be removably seated in said inverted recesses, and said lever, whensaid lugs are so seated, adapted for pivotal movement to tighten orloosen said binding member, and said lever adapted to normally retainthe position assumed when said binding member is fully tightened.

In testimony that I claim the above I have hereunto subscribed my namein the presence of two witnesses.

RICHARD MILLER.

Vitnesses SYLVIA BoRoN, WILLIAM H. MILLER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

